Hurricane Gabrielle (Skarmory's 2019)
Hurricane Gabrielle was an extremely rare hurricane that hit Portugal. The 8th depression, 7th named storm, 4th hurricane and 3rd major hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season, Tropical Storm Gabrielle formed from a tropical wave east of Cabo Verde, on September 3. Strengthening quickly, she hit Cabo Verde with 65 mph winds on September 4, and moved past the islands after weakening. She started moving northwards, and then strengthened into Hurricane Gabrielle on September 5. Continuing to strengthen, she became the 2nd major hurricane in a row on September 7 following Fernand. She reached a peak of 120 mph later that day. Turning towards Europe, she weakened. Her outer bands hit the Azores on September 9 while at cat 1 strength. On September 10, she weakened back to Tropical Storm Gabrielle, but making landfall on Portugal with 50 mph winds on September 12. She turned extratropical later that day, and dissipated a day later. She made an unusual landfall on Cabo Verde, killing 4 people and causing 77 million USD in damage there, before her outer bands affected the Azores, killing 1 and causing 2 million USD in damage. The worst damage however came in Portugal, with people not believing that a tropical storm was coming, a lot of people weren't prepared and Portugal got hit hard. 71 people died as a result of Gabrielle, and 250 million USD in damages were sustained. Flooding was a huge problem in Portugal after the impact of Gabrielle. Meteorological History A tropical wave came off the coast of Africa on September 2, 2019. The NHC began monitoring it, classifying it as Invest 96L. Chances for development were 40% in 48 hours and 50% in 5 days, and unexpectedly on September 3 96L developed a closed circulation and was named Gabrielle. She very quickly rammed into Cabo Verde on September 4 while intensifying extremely quickly, weakening her back down to 45 MPH. She also got pushed north by a steering ridge, and the area that she went over was unusually conducive to development. Strengthening into a hurricane again very quickly, she continued to strengthen, becoming a major hurricane on September 7. She then started moving east, and moved over unfavorable waters. Continuing to weaken, she passed by the Azores but was able to keep enough of a structure to stay tropical and made an extremely unusual landfall on Portugal. Over land, she turned extratropical and dissipated. Impact Cabo Verde Due to the unusual location of formation and even more unusual strengthening before hitting, Cabo Verde residents were not prepared. However even with large damage totals, only 4 deaths were reported. A lot of structures were damaged but not destroyed by the winds, which is where most of that damage total comes from. All 4 deaths however were flooding related, which also did more of the severe damage. Azores Only the outer bands passed by the Azores. 1 death was reported due to rip currents and 2 million USD in damages were sustained. Overall, the impacts were not that bad here. Portugal Residents in Portugal didn't believe that a tropical storm was coming or could even hit the area, leading to many people staying when told to evacuate and not preparing. Flooding was a huge problem due to people being unprepared, and many people were stunned, and some didn't even believe it was Gabrielle. However, it was, and there were 71 deaths, mostly in coastal areas. 250 million USD in damage was sustained from the storm. Aftermath People started investigating into how a tropical storm could hit the Iberian peninsula, and many people were in shock. Places in Portugal took months to recover. Some people don't even believe that Gabrielle hit Portugal, and that the rain was due to a different weather system. Many people were left shocked by the fact that a storm at TS intensity hit in Europe. This was the first tropical system to ever hit Portugal, and one of only 2 or 3 tropical systems to hit the Iberian peninsula, the others being the Spain Hurricane in 1842 and Tropical Depression Vince in 2005. Retirement Due to the severe damage and deaths caused by the storm, along with the unusual locations it hit, the name Gabrielle was retired in spring 2020, and will never again be used in the Atlantic basin. In 2025, it will be replaced by Gwen. Category:Atlantic hurricanes Category:Category 3 hurricanes Category:2019 Atlantic hurricane season Category:Future storms Category:Tropical cyclone effects in Europe Category:Retired storms